Story+1999-11-06+Fargo,+ND

“(Clarence: “Brothers and Sisters, all rise”)…yeah, yeah, yeah… yeah, yeah, yeah…good evening, North Dakota (crowd cheers) are you ready for me, people? (crowd cheers) there’s gonna be a meeting in the town tonight…yeah, yeah, yeah…yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah…are you ready tonight, people? (crowd cheers) there’s gonna be a meeting in the town tonight…” “Yes, it is…come on, let’s ride…Fargo! Minneapolis!...” “Steve’s excited to be in Fargo (chuckles) good evening (crowd cheers) nice to be here, I wanna tell you that Patti sends her regards, you know, she perforated her ear on the airplane so she couldn’t be here tonight but the boys are gonna do their best for you (chuckles)(crowd cheers) this is something we don’t usually do, let’s do this tonight…” “Can you feel the spirit? (crowd cheers) can you feel the spirit now? (crowd cheers) I think I’m filled, I feel myself fill with the ghost of, uh, of, uh…not Elvis, not, uh, not the ghost of Tom Joad, no, the, the, uh, the…the ghost of Tom Jones! Max (Max pounds the drums) (crowd cheers) hold on, baby…thank you, baby…(sings a bit of “It’s Alright” and “Take Me to the River”) that’s right…that’s where I wanna go tonight...I wanna find my way to that river…the river of life…and the river of love...the river of hope...the river of faith…I wanna find that river of sanctification...and that river of transformation...and transform, not to be the same again…and the river of resurrection…where everybody gets a second chance...the river of sexual healing…and companionship…that’s where I wanna go tonight and I want you to go with me (crowd cheers) because I need to go with you…that’s why we’re here…because you can’t get there by yourself...you may think that you can and everybody tries, you run and you hide but in the end you find out that you can’t get to that river of life by yourself…but now…as a young man I found myself one evening standing before a dark grove of trees...and I was frightened like a little child to pass through those trees...even though I knew on the other side was the river of life...the river of a full life…and cold beer at a reasonable price (crowd cheers) but I said “I’m not going! Uh-huh! ‘Cause there’s responsibilities that come with that life, I’m staying here, I’m running ‘cause that’s what I know how to do, that’s what I’m good at”…as I was about to quit, and then I heard a voice and something sweet coming through the trees…Professor, please (Roy starts playing) and as I walked into the trees, there was a gypsy lady and she said “Son, what you need is you need help...you need a band, Son!” (crowd cheers) that’s why I’d like to introduce tonight the Dean of the University of Musical Perversity, the Secretary of Intelligence, Professor Roy Bittan on the piano (crowd cheers) standing with me at the riverside, I’d like to introduce the foundation of the E Street nation, Southern man, Mr. Garry W. Tallent on the bass (crowd cheers) standing with me at the riverside, I wanna introduce the Secretary of Faith and Friendship, keeper of all that is righteous on E Street, star of the Sopranos, Little Steven Van Zandt on the guitar (crowd cheers) Brother man standing with me at the riverside…I wanna introduce the Minister of the Big Beat, Secretary of Syncopation, star of Late Night television, bring the power, Mighty Max Weinberg on the drums (crowd cheers) standing with me at the riverside, the Secretary of Heart and Spirit, Godfather of the guitar, Mr. Nils Lofgren (crowd cheers) standing with me at the riverside, Minister of Mystery, Secretary of all things unfathomable on E Street and in this life, Brother Dan Federici on the accordion (crowd cheers) standing with me at the riverside…and as I came through the trees, I saw people gathered at the river and I saw them with their hands in the air, welcoming me on…but, but, but…there was still something missing…something essential…something fundamental… something that we could not go on without…something very important…something very big…do I have to say his name? (crowd cheers) do I have to say his name? (crowd cheers) say who? (crowd: “Clarence”) say who? (crowd: “Clarence”) say who? (crowd: “Clarence”) say who? (crowd: “Clarence”) say who? (crowd: “Clarence”) say who? (crowd: “Clarence”) say who? (crowd: “Clarence”) say who? (crowd: “Clarence”) say who? (crowd: “Clarence”) say who? (crowd: “Clarence”) say who? (crowd: “Clarence”)…” “Thank you…ooh, thanks, we got…some friends with us here tonight I’m gonna do this next song for, for all the folks from the Great Plains Foodbank (crowd cheers) they supply more than two hundred feeding programs in eighty North Dakota communities and they feed an average of 20, 27,000 struggling North Dakotans a month, almost half of which are children…and for every dollar that you chip in, they can supply over fifteen dollars’ worth of food, that’s the Greater, Great Plains Foodbank serving you neighbours here in North Dakota, they’ll be out in the hall tonight (crowd cheers) if you can stop by…they can use your support…thank you… this is for them…” “…Fargo! (crowd cheers and keeps on cheering as Bruce yells the name of their city and state) Fargo!...Fargo!...Fargo!...Fargo!... Fargo !...I’m in Fargo!...North Dakota!...Fargo!...Fargo!...Fargo, North Dakota!...I’ve been there…I’ve been there now, baby!...I’m here!...I’ve been here!...but everywhere I’ve gone, I’ve seen people lost in confusion…lost…in the wilderness…lost…in the snow drifts… lost…in bitterness…lost…in loneliness…but we’re here tonight on a seach-and-rescue mission, we’ve come thousands and thousands of miles, we’re coming here to get you, if you’re downhearted, disspirited, disgusted, dispossessed, analyzed, downsized, stigmatized, Pokemonized, paralyzed, retro-psychedelized…I’m here tonight to re-educate, to resuscitate, to regenerate, to re-confiscate, to re-indoctrinate, to re-illustrate, to re-sexualate, to rededicate, to re-liberate with the power and the glory, with the power and the glory, with the power and the glory, the majesty, the mystery…with the ministry of rock’n’roll! (crowd cheers) that’s right…that’s right!...that’s right!...that’s why we’re here…that’s right!...that’s right!...but unlike my competitors, I shall not, I will not, I shall not promise you life everlasting but I can promise you life…right now! (crowd cheers) and all you gotta do is raise your hand and say “I” (crowd and Bruce start going “I, I, I”)…”
 * 06.11.99 Fargo, ND, intro to “The Ties That Bind” **
 * 06.11.99 Fargo, ND, intro to “Darlington County” **
 * 06.11.99 Fargo, ND, intro to “My Hometown” **
 * 06.11.99 Fargo, ND, middle of “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out” **
 * 06.11.99 Fargo, ND, intro to “The Ghost of Tom Joad” **
 * 06.11.99 Fargo, ND, middle of “Light of Day” **

“Are you hungry? (crowd cheers)…” “We’ve come too far to go now (crowd cheers) one more for Fargo (crowd cheers) let’s get dirty…” “Thank you, Fargo! (crowd cheers) remember the Great Plains Foodbank on your way out, we love you, we’ll see you again, thanks for a great night (crowd cheers)…” //Compiled by Johanna Pirttijärvi//
 * 06.11.99 Fargo, ND, intro to “Hungry Heart” **
 * 06.11.99 Fargo, ND, intro to “Ramrod” **
 * 06.11.99 Fargo, ND, after “Ramrod” **